Ranking LSU football’s 7 NCAA transfer portal additions so far this offseason

LSU Football has seen the good and the bad of the NCAA transfer portal in recent weeks.

The Tigers have lost some significant talent to the portal (cornerback Eli Ricks to Alabama and wide receiver Trey Palmer to Nebraska, among others), but they’ve added some nice talent, too.

LSU has added seven players (so far) to their roster via the transfer portal this offseason.

There will almost certainly be more additions in the coming days/weeks/months.

Ranking LSU football’s seven additions from the NCAA transfer portal

Here’s how we rank the seven additions that LSU has made via the NCAA transfer portal this offseason.

7. Slade Roy — Long snapper (East Carolina) — I don’t want to downplay the importance of a long snapper — if they mess up it’s usually going to lead to a catastrophic turnover — but these guys tend to be easier to find. Whether it’s via a signing class or the transfer portal, LSU was always going to be able to find a guy.

6. Noah Cain — Running Back (Penn State) — Adding a running back was important for the Tigers with Tyrion Davis-Price heading to the NFL. But it’s a position where they have some decent depth. John Emery will likely be the starter in 2022, but I could see Cain being the 1b option. Tre Bradford, Corey Kiner,  and Armoni Goodwin are also in the mix at running back.

5. Joe Foucha — Safety (Arkansas) — A program can never have enough defensive backs — whether it’s safeties or cornerbacks. Foucha was an extremely productive player for Arkansas, totaling 75 tackles for the Razorbacks in 2021 (fourth on the team). He should instantly carve out a role in LSU’s defense.

4. Greg Brooks — Defensive back (Arkansas) — I went back and forth on where to rank Foucha and Brooks. But I gave Brooks the edge because of his versatility. Brooks can also play cornerback, which is a position where the Tigers don’t have a ton of depth.

3. Miles Frazier — Offensive tackle (FIU) — LSU only has one starter on the offensive line (Cam Wire) returning in 2022. That’s why adding an offensive lineman was so important. Wire should be a day one starter for the Tigers.

2. Mekhi Garner — Cornerback (ULL) — One of LSU’s biggest needs is at cornerback. The Tigers lost Ricks and Dwight McGlothern to the transfer portal. And Derek Stingley Jr and Cordale Flott are heading to the NFL. LSU only has two scholarship cornerbacks on the roster from the 2021 squad (Raydarious Jones and Damarius McGhee). Garner will be another day-one starter.

1. Myles Brennan — Quarterback (LSU) — Brennan is included here because he’s technically a portal addition. And he’s an important one at that. LSU has plenty of quarterback talent in sophomore Garrett Nussmeier and true freshman Walker Howard. But it’s unproven talent. We know what Brennan can do. He was an elite SEC quarterback before his abdomen injury in 2020. If a program doesn’t have a legit quarterback, they probably aren’t winning many games. Brennan is like a security blanket for Brian Kelly and the new Tigers coaching staff.